Keep the Pyjamas At Home

Together with the general interest in the great development achievements of the People's Republic of China, I have maintained an interest in the odd and freedom-inhibiting regulatory provisions that countries maintain. Some of these blog posts such as this, have commented on the ingenuity of China's local bosses in designing laws and provisions with interesting outcomes. I have just stumbled upon another story which confirms that city officials in Shanghai have started a campaign to dissuade Chinese citizens from wearing their pyjamas in public.

This is interesting to me for two reasons. First, my libertarian instincts lead me to ask so what if a person chooses to wear pyjamas on the side walks. Indeed, they would probably look quite odd though it is possible that they may start a fad which is helpful for a major manufacturer and exporter of textiles. As a second point, this is worrisome because while there is no law yet, it suggest that some bureaucrats are obsessed with creating impressions to foreigners and are less mindful of the implications for individual choices.

Noting that the samples of pyjamas worn by the two men in the picture accompanying that story are quite decent, I still contend that a drive to impose behaviour on individuals just because the country is hosting an international event betrays a bureaucracy that is filled with busy bodies. Given Shanghai's place in the continuing economic development miracle achieved by China, one would think that bureaucrats in that city understand the opportunity costs of raising a campaign to stop people going about the sidewalks in clothes of their choice. With tongue in cheek, would one face the same scrutiny if the choice of pyjamas was from this Piero Galante store?